Compos Mentis

A Reckoning

The original use of the word reckoning labeled a numbering or census, an enumerated list. In connection with another use implying thinking or belief, I reckon it's as good a way of organizing a retrospect as any. (Ed. note: I should never ever be allowed to buy an actual Oxford English Dictionary. The etymology is as addicting as wikipedia). The real reason of course is that this is one of the few times I'm actually not looking forward to seeing the chapter of my life end. In any other situation I'd try to look ahead and see how things would improve in the future, but here I can't really see how my life could get better than the time I've had here.

That said, I do like looking back at times and seeing how different periods of my life have gone. After high school, after each year of college, I've found it's a good idea to look back to see how I've changed and what I've done. It's helpful in trying to figure out what I need to do next in life. In this sense, I need to do this reckoning to figure out how I'm going to make next year at all comparable to the time I've had here. So what I've done is compiled a list of things that I have done or have experienced while I've been here: at least the things I could count. By no means does this encapsulate my experience here. It is merely a guide towards an approximation.

Travel
Countries visited: Nine, not counting the U.K. Five were visited by plane, the others by train.
Miles walked in foreign countries: about 120, give or take.
People noticing I was American: at least 20 who mentioned something.
Conversations had with people in a language I had tried to learn that morning / the night before: 6. One couple actually knew English, they honestly thought I was Italian.
Languages I remember now after trying to learn them overnight: 0
Times I was scared for my life: 2. Once in Budapest, once somewhere in Romania.
Number of times I've broken the ice by telling the train story: 8
Number of times I've broken the ice by talking about guitars: 3, all in the same hostel
Number of fantastic beers I've had: Too many to count
Number of fantastic meals I've had: see above
Phones lost while / because of traveling: 3
Times been to London: 5
Most visited attraction in London: outside of this one great coffee shop, the British library
Most surreal experience in London: realizing that it's exactly like Paris except tidier.
Place I most wish I could have visited but didn't: probably Amsterdam, although I saw great pictures and had recommended by one of my tutors Tripoli.
Biggest letdown: Not being able to see Vienna because the train was delayed
Most awe-inspiring: toss up between Notre Dame and Hagia Sophia. Runners up include the Duomo, Rustem Pasha, Guernica, Dachau in an obviously more subdued light, and the whiskey tasting at the Jameson's distillery.

Productivity:
New books read from: 579, of which, I read 508 completely.
Books read including re-reads (read here more than once) and repeat readings (reading a book I've read before): 812. (Ed. note: you cannot believe how long or the necessary neurotic perfectionism it took to count them all)
Biggest surprise: How much of "the Diary of Lady Murasaki" I could actually read.
Biggest letdown: toss up between Michel Foucault and the later Heidegger.
Pages written: 950, give or take, not counting these pages. Break down: Non-fiction, assigned: 192. Non-fiction, drafts for larger things: 202. Non-fiction, random crap including blog and journal: 304. Long fictions: 80 and 114. Short fictions: about 58. About 40% of the total was handwritten and 60% typed. Percentage I now think is crap? Too much.
Number of story / argument ideas that I had to trash because they were bad: at least ten including some that I had before I came here.
Songs learned on guitar: a dozen or so, depending on how you define "learned".
Pieces composed not for guitar: Well, it would have been four, but my flash drive ate three of them.
Hours spent playing guitar: not enough
Meals accidentally missed because I was too busy playing the guitar / writing / reading: Too many
Times seriously considered giving up academia in order to pay the bills with the guitar: at least once
Amount of money made from performing, ever: $0. (Ed. note: hmm.)
Subjects I now feel fairly competent in: 2
Subjects I presumably need to be competent in for the writing I have planned: not counting the fiction? At least 6.
Best answer I can give for why I write so much: "I can't not write."
Best answer I can give for why I read so much: "Because books are awesome!" (Ed. note: both these have actually been said.)
Biggest time waster: Outside of guitar? Webcomics.

Concluding Remarks
Most lasting impressions: The friends made here. By lasting I guess I mean something I still have.
Thing missed most from the States: Other than certain people? Seriously, Mexican food.
Good memories: All of them, no regrets whatsoever.


P.S.
- I'm going to take this moment to mention casually to those of you in Utah that I will be there for approximately a month starting July 1st. I might want to mention to those of you in Spokane that I will be there after that. We should hang out. Totally.

posted by Emmett @ 05:43